Another first-time builder - please look at my build

[06MustangGT]

Hi Everyone,

I have been looking through this forum for a few months now; although, I just registered. This is my first time to build a computer. I would appreciate any feedback and suggestions.

CPU - Core2duo E6600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115003

Debating between these two motherboards:
Asus P5B-E
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131070
and
Gigabyte DS3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813128012

Debating between these two RAMs
G.Skill DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231098
OCZ DDR2 800 (although voltage is 2.1)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227139

GPU - EVGA 8800 GTS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130071

PSU - Forton 400w (This is from TriEclipse's thread - http://www.techist.com/showthread.php?threadid=131824)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953

Hard Drive - WD 250 GB (I don't know much about hard drives. Will this one work with my system?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144701

DVD-RW - NEC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152076

Case - CoolerMaster Centurion (I have heard this is a good case that is cheap. Will the 8800 GTS fit?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119077

I have four questions:

(1) Is there a clear winner between the two motherboards I listed? Any other suggestions?

(2) GPU - Should I buy the 8800 GTS now or buy a cheaper video card (I saw that Fry's has the EVGA 7900GS for $119 after MIR) and wait for the second round of this generation of video cards? It seems like there are normally many bugs that don't get worked out until later cards.

(3) RAM and RAM timings. I have picked up a little about RAM timings while reading various forums and it seems that lower timings are better. Will someone help me out with this some more? Should I get a 5-5-5 or 4-4-4 timing? What are the benefits? I have heard of people having problems with the 4-4-4 timing because of the higher voltage.

(4) Do I need to buy thermal paste for the CPU or does this come with it? Also, do I need ESD wrist guards?

I think this is everything I can think of.

 

[King X13]

(1)i like DS3 personally i know a few people with it and its what im going to use when i build my duo system.

(2)GPU depends what games your going to be playing and if you have the money to burn. me i would go with the 7900 cuz id have to sell my car for an 8800 gs.

(3)timings i debate everyone with so i wont even say anything about it expect honestly you will never notice the difference in real world use unless you run those stupid stat programs

(4)yes, most of the time it doesnt come with any. and wrist guards....i open and repair about 20-30 pc's a week and never wore one and never had a problem. i think its over but if you want to be super careful they why not they arent expensive.

thats my opinion, good luck on the build its not hard at all.

 

[b1gapl]

The 8800GTS shouldn't have a problem fitting in a mid-tower, because it's not as long as the motherboard, like the GTX is. Although a full tower is a good way to go. Lots of room to work with, and makes way for future upgrades.

 

[06MustangGT]

How much is a descent full tower case?

Also, I have decided on the P5-B E board. It seems that it is the better performer.

 

[Ste]

I just want to Note that Tris thread failed to mention that they weren't using a 400 Watt Fortron to power that Machine, they were using a 600 watt TT toughpower. The 600 TT Toughpower is the lowest Power supply with an efficency of 85%. ( Lowest of the TT's)

I kinda thought that to be interesting.

 

[06MustangGT]

STE - Do you think that the Forton 400 won't be enough to power my system?

 

[TriEclipse]

All the parts you've picked seem to be good, solid ones so I'll just chime in with my $.02 on the ones you need to pick on.

For the motherboard, the P5B-E is a notably better performer all-around. While the DS3 has been quickly embraced by Forumgoers and other custom builders, the P5B-E is turning a lot of heads, and the major reviewers already recognize it as the better of the two. I just got done reading Anandtech's review on the DS3 with the F9 BIOS, and while it was an impressive showing, it left a little to be desired at the top-end. Here's a quote;

In order to complete the dual Prime95 testing we had to further relax our memory timings to 5-7-6-20, which resulted in the majority of our benchmark scores being worse than our 7x505 results. Our ASUS P5B-E 1.02G motherboard will run our entire benchmark test suite at 4-4-4-12 memory timings at the same 7x520FSB,so we feel Gigabyte still has some memory and MCH tuning to complete in the next BIOS release.

Both of those memory sticks are excellent, with the OCZ edging out the G.Skill with its slightly tighter timings, but 4-4-4-15 timings aren't worth the extra money over 5-5-5-15. You likely won't even notice the difference in performance, but you will probably notice the extra room in your budget.

With the money saved on the memory, spend an extra $10 on the 450W version of the Forton PSU (it has slightly higher +12v rails). Call it more peace of mind. And I'm delighted to hear that the sticky is getting read by people.

(2) - I say that you should jump into DX10 as soon as you can. If you can afford a 8800GTS in this build, then I highly suggest going with it. You will love yourself when Crysis comes out.

(4) - "Thermal tape" comes with the CPU, it has already been applied on the bottom of the HSF. However, while it helps, it is highly recommended that you get some cheap (~$5) Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Paste. And contrary to what you may have heard, EST is quite real. While I've never personally fallen victim to it, I have plenty of careless friends who have fried parts (mainly videocards) while rolling around on their carpets. Cheap Anti-Static wrist guards are highly recommended to save your hundreds of dollars' worth of hardware.

Hope that helped you with your build. :classic:

I just want to Note that Tris thread failed to mention that they weren't using a 400 Watt Fortron to power that Machine, they were using a 600 watt TT toughpower. The 600 TT Toughpower is the lowest Power supply with an efficency of 85%. ( Lowest of the TT's)

I kinda thought that to be interesting.

I sort of expected people to read through the article that I linked.

And while I didn't say that they were using a TT Toughpower, I did say this;

Now note this; Incase you didn't read the article, they mention that the power being measured is from the wall, meaning that the actual power supplied to the components is less, after factoring in the PSU efficiency. They are using a Power Supply that has an efficiency rating of 85% (excellent).

And I don't see how the power supply used is relevant. All I wanted to take from the article was how much power was being pulled from the wall. And I did include .85 (85%) in my calculations to get the actual power being fed to the components.

 

[06MustangGT]

Thanks TriEclipse. Your input is greatly appreciated. Any take on my case? Should I look at any others? I saw the Antec Nine Hundred for $80 after MIR at Fry's today.

 

[TriEclipse]

The CM Centurion should be fine, its a good case with good airflow, and should have enough room for your 8800GTS.

 

[Cdub89]

Thanks TriEclipse. Your input is greatly appreciated. Any take on my case? Should I look at any others? I saw the Antec Nine Hundred for $80 after MIR at Fry's today.

O man i would def go for that Antec 900 those cases are sweet.